Sacred Mysteries

Today somone on Twitter raised a question arising from today's Divine Office reading, taken from Origen's homily on Joshua. She thought he was talking about salvation being limited to a certain few, wheras he is actually speaking in the context of the Sacraments, ie "Sacred Mysteries."

I'm going to quote a larger passage, not a "twitterable" one, so as to give better context which will aid in our understanding. (Words in bold were the passage being questioned.)

From Origen's Homily on Joshua:

"You have recently abandoned the darkness of idolatry, and you now desire to come and hear the divine law. This is your departure fro mEgypt. When you became a catechumen and began to obey the laws of the Church, you passed through the Red Sea; now at the various stops in the desert, you give time every day to hear the law of God and to see the face of Moses unveiled by the glory of God. But once you come to the baptismal font and, in the presence of the priests and deacons, are initiated into those sacred and august mysteries which only those know who should, then, through the ministry of the priests, you will cross the Jordan and enter the promised land. There Moses will hand you over to Jesus, and he himself will be your guide on your new journey."

There is actually a great deal of theology in this passage, and a great deal of history being alluded to which was relevant to Origin's audience. Thus I'd like to first point out that the overall context of the homily seems to indicate that those hearing it were converts from Judaism. In it, Origin is referring to their history, familiarity with Moses, the Red Sea, the Ark of the Covenant, etc. (I did not quote the entire reading for today). Had he been speaking to gentile converts, he would have had to explain these things as opposed to bringing them into the present and into the Christian understanding.

Now, as far as the text that the individual questioned, it seems clear to me that Origin is discussing the Sacraments. He refers to "initiation", and we refer to Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion as the "sacraments of initiation". At that time, I believe catechumens received all three Sacraments at the same time.

If you read the passage again, it discusses the presence of priests and deacons, and specifically, that they are admitted to these mysteries through the ministry of the priests. This indicates the reception of Sacraments, as well as presence at the Paschal Mystery (e.g. the Mass)

What many do not understand is that Mass was not always so accessable to people. Recall that in the Early Church, Christians were greatly persecuted. All week in the Divine Office we've been reading about St. Ignatius; he was paraded to Rome in captivity to face his martyrdom, and in the process wrote something like 15 letters to those in his care. When he reached Rome, he was fed to the lions, and many other Christians, people like you and I, (from children to the elderly) also stood up and identified themselves publicly as Christians, and were ALSO sent to the lions.

It doesn't surprise me, then, that this reading follows, for the persecution of our ancestors was not the lame and cowardly persecutions we face today (at least, in America). Wheras we risk and suffer ridicule and maybe political "attack" in our countries, for them it was a crime to be Christian, and to publicly admit the affiliation was an automatic death sentence. A very torturous death, done for the entertainment of the pagan masses.

So it was that, in the Early Church, Mass was a secret meeting. The priests consecrated the bread and wine into the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ. They spoke of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, and yes, they did this quite seriously. St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Clement of Rome, St. Irenaeus, St. Justin Martyr, St. Cyril, among others, all spoke of this Mystery (which today we call the Paschal Mystery).

There, deep in history, the rumor mill was just as active as it is today, even without benefit of the internet. The pagans, and others, sincerely believed the Christians were cannibals, and that they were meeting in secret in order to do their grisly and immoral deeds. Christians were hated and feared.

It was for this reason (among others) that St. Justin Martyr wrote Apologia, in an attempt to defend the Church, respond to the attacks, and put the rumors to rest.

At that time in history, strangers were not admitted to Mass. Catechumens (the non-baptized being instructed in the Christian faith, a term still used today) were barred from attendance until, for approximately three years, they had completed their instruction, had truly converted, and were ready to be admitted to the Mysteries. (To be specific, they were admitted to the Liturgy of the Word, ie the penitential rite, collect, Gloria, scripture readings, and the Homily, and were dismissed after this.)

St. Justin Martyr, in his 1st Apology, wrote about this practice:

No one may share the Eucharist with us unless he believes that what we teach is true, unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins, and unless he lives in accordance with the principles given us by Christ.

We do not consume the eucharistic bread and wine as if it were ordinary food and drink, for we have been taught that as Jesus Christ our Savior became a man of flesh and blood by the power of the Word of God, so also the food that our flesh and blood assimilates for its nourishment becomes the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the prayer of thanksgiving.

He explains here why others were not admitted to these mysteries, raising the demand of a conversion of life, of intent, of proving their ability to live "in accordance with the principles given us by Christ."

Those who became Christians then, through the Sacraments of initiation, knew what they were getting into. They were willing to die for it, and they were everyday witnesses to exactly what kind of death awaited them.

They were not willing to die for a lie, for a "mystery" that turned out to have been written by an early Dan Brown hack. When they were finally, at long last, admitted to the Church and initiated into those Mysteries, they knew what they were receiving, the importance of it, the sacredness, and the reality that this was going to cost them. They had to first die to themselves in order to risk dying for the Faith of Jesus Christ.

Salvation

Now, there was also the question of salvation, and I won't go into detail on this, but I can focus on some very simple beliefs.

We believe that baptism is NECESSARY for Salvation, and that no one enters heaven but through Jesus Christ. His suffering and death was for the remission of sin, paid the ransom owed, rendering Divine Justice through His perfect act of Mercy. But we must be baptized, the stain of original sin erased, and through this Sacrament, we enter the Church.

As Catholics, we recognize that Confirmation and Holy Communion complete our initiation into the Church, each Sunday we profess our Faith, and continue to live the sacramental life of the Church, even if it means that we receive the Sacrament of Confession daily if necessary! Even we who have been initiated are not admitted freely to the Sacrament of Holy Communion if we are in a state of mortal sin!

So, yes, Origin is ALSO speaking of salvation in this homily, but by no means is giving a discourse on that (no more than I am in this post!). His main point is the necessity and importance of the sacramental life, instruction in the relevence (and revelation!) of these mysteries for those upon whom the chrism oil still drips from their foreheads.

Today

Anyone can attend Mass today, no matter what their faith, and no matter how much they reject our beliefs. All are admitted. Yet, they cannot participate in the sacred mysteries that are the Sacraments; if they have not been instructed or reject those beliefs, they cannot be admitted for they are not in union with the Church.

I would argue that the early preparation given to the catechumens of that age probably better served to reveal the importance of the sacraments and the holiness of the Mass, far more so than the current (and typical) RCIA models do. Do I think we should make a return to what they had to do in the first centuries? Perhaps not; what was proper then might not be proper now, although I suspect that in places like India, the Sudan, and Saudia Arabia, this probably IS a more likely practice than that which we have here in America.

Persecution and suffering tends to impress upon those affected the holiness and grace of God far more than we butter-fed prosperous countries can muster on even our worst of days.

Something for us all to consider as we enter into perhaps the only season of "persecution" many of us have ever known.

Disclaimer:

I'm not overly familiar with early Church history as it applies to the Mass and Sacraments, so tried to keep my comments general. It's entirely possible that I erred in some of my statements, and so this post should not be taken as gospel fact. I would encourage anyone reading this to read formal documentation of this history, and definitely click on the link to St. Justin Martyr's 1st Apology.

Further, it's not intended to be a complete discourse on St. Justin Martyr or any of the other listed Saints, only a general explanation. I am not an expert in anything.

Another great resource is Rod Bennett's Four Witnesses; the Early Church in Her Own Words , available from Ignatius Press. I've read this book and cannot recommend it highly enough, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the Church Fathers and life in the Early Church.

Modern-Day Martyrdom

Found at Orissa Burning.

Can't You See the Blood Dripping from the Flag of China?

I wasn't going to post this, and maybe it's a post that will be taken down. In all likelihood, if my URL is not yet banned in China, it will be after tonight.

It's completely INSANE that China was allowed to host the Olympics. Given the well-known human-rights violations in SO many areas, given the well-known oppression of their people...HOW, in good conscience, can the OIC POSSIBLY have awarded this honor to one of the WORST and most immoral countries on the planet?

In 1982, one of my cousins was bound for the Olympics, and as I understand it, her name was a big one; EVERYONE knew she'd be going. She was a diver, and the day before Trials, she suffered an unfortunate landing in training, and the resulting broken bone broke her chance for the Gold...and her heart. She couldn't face four more years of the same regimen of training only to come so close and meet the same disappointment. She chose to move on with her life.

I remember clearly watching the 1982 Summer Olympics, watching my cousin's sport, completely awed by the athletes, and I announced that day to my parents that one day, I'd be an Olympian, too. Because SOMEONE had to be. Why not me?

Well, I have resigned myself to the fact that this will never happen, yet in my years of adulthood I DID achieve a certain elite training and have come, through that, to appreciate the amazing sacrifices and dedication of Olympians. I've also become a person of faith, which affects me not only spiritually, but socially as I cannot look at the world we live in and remain aloof.

Let's just cut to the chase:

When I see the Chinese flag, I see the blood of the Chinese People.

The flag that welcomes the athletes, the dignitaries, and the visitors is red for a reason, and EVERY time each of us looks at it, we must remember the people of China in their subjugation to the oppressive and deranged communist leaders who deny not only their dignity, but their very basic human rights...even their lives.

A long time ago, an important leadership concept came to my attention; never ask anyone to do what you would refuse to do or could not do. To do so is hypocrasy. But the idea goes beyond leadership and into everyday life and colors our decisions and opinions.

Taking into consideration my cousin's great disappointment and my own forays into serious athletic training in the past (not Olympic-bound - not the same goal), I took an objective look at the Olympics in China. Sure, I could look at it ideologically, even positively. But in the end, I've had to concede that this event does more for the current Chinese Regime than it does for the beautiful Chinese people.

There's a lot of ideology out there; you have a lot of people, even good Catholic authors using the tired argument that "the Olympics doesn't HAVE to be political...."

Well, right. I agree. It doesn't HAVE to be...but the fact that politicization isn't required doesn't change the reality that it IS and REMAINS a political event.
We cannot use the idea that "The Olympics don't have to be political." It's a strawman argument and it can go up in the same flames a match applied to a scarecrow would generate. We live in the real world and we have to see it as such, not as the fantasy world of "what we'd prefer it to be." We can't react to fantasy; we can ONLY deal with what's happening before our very eyes, and if we don't accept it, we can't encourage change.

China isn't doing this for the goodness of her people. China isn't hosting the Olympics for a financial boom. They aren't doing it out of "goodwill", for the latter has to arise out of a true desire to do good...and the objective documentation on human rights failings on the part of China leaves "goodwill" out of the equation.

The people of China deserve something good...so why are they suffering in the shadows of the Olympic stadiums?

Because the Olympics aren't about them. They are about China's use of what Nazi Germany used when they hosted the Olympics, while, in the meantime, they slaughtered thousands of people in death camps.

Yet, their hosting of the Olympics gave them a positive spin in the world, and people were willing to overlook what was REALLY happening because, well, Hitler had such a pretty face when his country hosted the Olympics...he couldn't be THAT bad, could he?

I can think of thousands upon thousands of souls, some still living, who would disagree.

The Nazi Olympics are happening again, folks. And sure, the Chinese government, just like Nazi Germany, is putting on a pretty face. Just recently a man from Minnesota, a prominent and beloved local businessman, was murdered in China by a random deranged killer. And the Chinese government, reportedly, has been just wonderful to his wife who was also severely injured. The government has been incredibly helpful to the family and is providing the best medical treatment available. And that's good..that's exactly what they SHOULD do.

But they won't do this for their own people. And I doubt, if they were there as tourists and not for the Olympics, that we'd be seeing this face of the government; they likely wouldn't take personal interest at all, and we wouldn't expect them to do so. Things happen to people who visit America, and our government doesn't "adopt" them and issue press releases, do they? It would be a full-time job and a news channel would have to be dedicated to all the events.

So, this event alone seems to point to the fact that the Chinese government is over-extending itself in an attempt to "prove" how good and benevolent it is.

ON THE ATHLETES

I don't fault the athletes for competing or for being there. They worked hard to be there, and this is a dream of a lifetime. Congratulations to all, and God bless them. They are living history and will forever look back on these events, but I fear that what China is and will become after this event will also forever taint their memories when they come to realize what was happening in the country that hosted them.

Much like being hosted by a mass murderer and being sent away unscathed. Survivor's guilt.

In musing about this, I tried to, using my experience and knowledge gained from memories of my cousin, place myself in the shoes of an olympic athlete. I've written fiction about being in that very place, but now I change the idea; what if the event was...China?

Knowing what I know, knowing about the underground Catholic Church, knowing that women are forced to have abortions due to the one-child limit legislated by the Chinese government, knowing that they recently killed a Bishop...I'd have to weigh it. Getting to the Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime event that happens only to the fewest, and the best of the fewest.

To be counted in that number...wow. Humbling. Amazing. Not something to discount. You can ONLY get there by putting your heart and soul into it.

But knowing all that I know...I honestly believe I would turn it down. I would walk away and ask other athletes to do the same. Not without tears, not without a struggle for I would know what I was giving up. But I would also realize that if I competed, I'd be competing upon soil bloodied by my own Christian brothers and sisters, and through my willingness to participate, I'd be legitimizing the government's actions against them.

Thus, my actions would be a betrayal against my own people. And I, as a Catholic, claim the Chinese as my brothers and sisters in Christ.

If they are being slaughtered, I have no business being friendly with their murderers. The ONLY thing to do is to walk away and use my position as an athlete to make a very public stand and declare a very public condmenation against the Chinese government.

BOYCOTT

I have not watched the Olympics. A couple times I have briefly had the channel on, although the event wasn't one I care about, yet I still feel guilty even for that. I have watched the medal count, and I'm glad when America does well. And it is KILLING me to realize I won't be able to watch the equestrienne or swimming or gymnastics or track competetions. Because, if I say I wouldn't be willing to compete...then I can at least make the sacrifice of not watching those who do. Even though it has no financial impact upon anyone.

I can't watch the Olympics this year. At all. Because, through this post especially, I am saying that the venue is immoral, thus, so is our participation.

Watching is participation.

I wish the athletes of all nations well, and I pray good comes out of this event. But I can't give acquiescence to it because the host is the next thing to Satan Incarnate, and I certainly don't think that the Olympics should be held in Hell next time around.

Speak to Chinese Catholics and other Chinese Christians...they'll tell you that this year, the Olympics ARE being held in Hell.

And every time you look at the Chinese flag, take a really good look...because, if you were born under it, it could be your blood dripping upon the athletes that now tread on your grave or the graves of your unborn.
*

The Culture of Lukewarm

There's a phenomena that is very disturbing to me, and it SHOULD be disturbing to us all.

This morning, when Mass ended, as soon as Father walked by, a woman sitting a few rows up and across the aisle from me glanced over her shoulder, just waiting...and surely enough, she and her daughter darted from the pew, not even bothering to bow or even genuflect. And once this began, it continued, more and more people leaving Mass as quickly as they could, not even seeming to realize that the King of Kings was present, not giving Him another thought.

Maybe it's unfair for me to assume they don't know He is present, but then again; we tend to pay attention to those things we think are important. Is it fair to suggest, that, given the lack of reverence, perhaps people don't realize that Christ is Truly Present in the tabernacle? I won't say it's a deliberate snub towards Our Lord; the behavior of all too many Sunday-Mass-attending Catholics simply unfortunately suggests that if they have any faith at all, it is lukewarm and it is something they do not understand.

I say this because even a small understanding of what happens at Mass and WHOM is present is a life-changing realization, and the first thing we tend to do once we realize that Jesus is really there is to do things outwardly as a signal of what has gone on inside of us. As in genuflect, or bow, or make the sign of the cross. It may be small, and doing this might make us feel weird if we have had this conversion experience; for we might wonder what our friends or family will think of us if we suddenly realize that we've been ignoring Christ and experience even a small change in behavior that signals an even greater change in our hearts.

But, I have learned, it's not easy to be Catholic, even in a Catholic church! Those who actively pursue holiness are often regarded as being "odd" or "a fanatic" or even "holier-than-thou", a catch-all phrase that encompasses all the disdain and disrespect in the world. God forbid that someone receive that ultimate insult!

It is for this reason I question why people don't genuflect; is it that they don't believe or don't understand, or is it that they are afraid of being seen as "holier-than-thou"?

I suspect that the answer leans more towards the former, although I'm certain there are a great number of Catholics afraid to practice their faith outwardly, completely suppressed by the culture of secularism that surrounds them and tells them (and all of us!) that "faith is personal".

Yes, faith IS personal...and it is also social. For if the social aspect isn't expressed, then faith dies from simple disobediece to Our Lord's commission to us all....to spread the gospel. If we're afraid to even genuflect because of what other Catholics might call us, then how can we possibly take the next step and be willing to verbally proclaim Christ in even the most mundane ways?

We have a problem in the Church, and the problem comes from within, thanks to pressure from without. I learned a harsh lesson last fall, when giving a talk to people who claim to be good Catholics; "good Catholics" become VERY agitated VERY quickly when in a Catholic Church being provided with Catholic teaching by another Catholic. There is a VERY dangerous culture even within the Church that suggests that those who dare to believe what the Church teaches and follow what has always been true, and even worse, to PROCLAIM it, that those people must be silenced as quickly as possible.

The culture of the lukewarm is in charge. The "lukewarm" are those who claim to be "good Catholics" because they attend Mass "most Sundays and some Holy Days if convenient", send their children to Catholic school, support the school and church sometimes and if it's fun (and convenient socially!), but pick and choose what they want to believe. Because of their high status as "church-going Catholics" they also get to sit in judgment and gossip over those Catholics who spend more time working hard to BE Catholic as opposed to talking about or thinking about what good Catholics they are.

The Lukewarm Catholics are those who work hard to suppress any good Catholic teaching, for they have become comforted by the secular status-quo; if someone or something calls to their attention that they have to do more than just show up when they feel like it, they can't bear the discomfort. And, as it is natural to seek to escape that which causes pain, they first try to deny the Truth. When they can't deny it, they attack the messenger; for that messenger MUST be quashed! They seek to discredit, to villify, and will go so far as to outright lie about what was said and how it was said.

For, you see, the culture of lukewarmness must be preserved at all costs!

In reality, most Lukewarm Catholics aren't so vile; most simply disregard those things with which they have chosen to disagree, and refuse to be affected by what happens at Mass. They can't be bothered to sign up for Adoration, for...why would they? What a waste of time! To sit for an hour in the chapel in front of the Blessed Sacrament? That's for religious and fanatics!

And so they go about their lives, not even considering that they should be genuflecting when they arrive at Mass and when they leave...for they don't even realize Jesus is Present. They don't go to Confession because they think Vatican II "did away" with the sacrament.

There is only one way to TRULY fight the culture of lukewarmness...be unabashadly Catholic. Genuflect. Make the Sign of the Cross. Go to Confession...frequently. Let Christ into your life and your soul, and let Him change you. Quit worrying about what anyone else thinks...if they have a problem with YOUR seeking holiness, they truly only have a problem with a lack of their own. Ignore them and let them wallow....it's God's place to change them. It's YOUR place to be a humble example and place your focus on Christ, not your social circle.

We also ALL have the responsibility to educate ourselves; we all have questions. The bad news is that the Church is over 2,000 years old, with theology that goes back to the beginning of time. The GOOD news is that all of the questions we have, in reality, have been asked before. The most common questions are those too many people are afraid to ask...yet if they did, they would be changed forever.

There's a lot of fear out there among the Lukewarms. It's ALL ABOUT fear for them; about what their friends and family will think, about having to change, about those questions they have about the answers they think they should know...but have never been taught.

Catechesis needs to happen, but we have a couple of lost generations out there, adults running around knowing that they should go to church, wanting to raise their children Catholic, but having NO IDEA what it really MEANS to be Catholic! The result is a sort of spiritual paralysis as these adults struggle to live a life of faith in a culture that says faith (and life!) has no value.

Speak to anyone who works in a church; they'll lament the vast majority of parishioners who refuse to get involved, who refuse to engage in conversation, who refuse to attend events. They may be fine people, pillars of the community, wonderful parents...who have placed their souls in the backseat. Because that's what the world says to do. And so they show up to Mass on occasion. Or maybe they are the type to bring their children for the sacraments, and maybe for the major holidays, but otherwise, they refuse to darken the door of the church.

It's an outright battle for the souls of Catholics (and I know it happens in all the Christian religions) and those on the frontlines are taking a beating most people can't even imagine. How do we inspire conversion in those we love, those who can't seem to break out of the relativism and apathy that holds them bound? Some get ticked off and leave the Church if they are provided with authentic teaching. Some get ticked off and, through argument and discussion, eventually convert. Others simply disconnect and practice their faith with all the passion and understanding of a headless zombie.

I don't know what the answers are; I'm constantly wracking my brain trying to figure out how to reach people through the barriers they've put up, and even the most gently phrased teachings have placed me on the wrong end of a marginally-Catholic person's ire. And I'll do it again, over and over again, because at least anger is a reaction - anything other than that blasted apathy that grips so many self-proclaimed Catholics!

I can't help but think of the early martyrs, and all the martyrs throughout the history of the Church, even those of today. They were and are Catholics like all of us, but whose practice of the faith led and leads to death in horrible ways. They were men and women who stepped forward even as their bishops were torn apart by lions, and there, in the face of that reality, in that very presence, they were not afraid to declare themselves to be Christians and follow the bloody footprints into the arena.

Many of us fear the rolling eyes and deprecating comments of our contemporaries, and yet...our ancestors didn't even fear the ripping, tearing, bloody-gory deaths that came just from CLAIMING to be Christian. Never mind what happened to those actually CAUGHT IN THE ACT of practicing their faith!

I'm going to make a bold statement, one I thought I would never make, but I'm gonig to preface it with a brief exposition. Firstly, I can tell you right now our country is headed to hell in a handbasket called "secularism". We sacrifice our faith on the altar of political correctness, and we continue to give quiet obesience to those who desire to quash the voice of Christianity. When we do speak, we speak through the political arena where compromise is the game and the only definition of that word means "leave God's laws at the door". Thus, it is no wonder that the secularism of our culture has fed the lukewarmness of "practicing Catholics."

When I consider where we're going and the state of Catholicism in this country, I think that maybe the BEST thing to happen is for the charismatic political candidates win. Let them win. I won't vote for them, but if they win, I hope they bring about an even greater persecution of the Church. I think ONLY if the practice of our faith is punished will the zombic-majority be converted; when their friends are imprisoned for speaking their beliefs, when priests are imprisoned for preaching the gospel, when Catholic teachers are imprisoned for daring to suggest that marriage is between a man and a woman...then people will open their eyes. When the housewife next door is forced to send her children to a substandard-school that teaches things contrary to her values, or when the everyday-dad loses his house to legal fines for simply speaking to a group in a church somewhere about objective truth...when people can't go to Mass anymore because churches will have to close due to a loss of tax-exempt status, and the practice of all Christian religions resembles those of China....then people will convert.

I hope we get the leadership that feeds the Church once again through the innocent blood of the martyrs.

Do I think I'd be strong enough to be one of those martyrs? I don't know. I hope so. Because I think it's coming and those of us who believe all that the Church teaches and try to embrace it, and seek to preach it and live it...I think we're going to suffer. And maybe that needs to happen.

Nothing in this world is permanent; we are here in order to prepare for eternity. Let's get on with it!